What Are the Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency?
Magnesium (Mg) is one of three absolutely vital electrolytes for your health. If you feel ill but can’t quite put your finger on what’s wrong, there is a good chance that you are deficient in this essential electrolyte. Keep reading to discover some of the most common symptoms of a deficiency in this crucial electrolyte, including a significant reduction in appetite, muscle spasms, and sleepiness.
What Are the Symptoms of Magnesium Deficiency?
Severe Appetite Reduction
One sign that you are deficient in this essential electrolyte is a severe reduction in your appetite. Often, this loss of appetite is accompanied by such gastrointestinal symptoms as nausea or vomiting. If you have noticed these symptoms recently, there is a chance that you need to increase your intake of this essential electrolyte.
Heart Arrhythmia
Heart arrhythmia is another symptom that your electrolyte consumption may be too low. The most common sign of heart arrhythmia is a noticeably irregular heartbeat. However, some people with this condition also suffer from heart palpitations. Other signs you may be suffering from arrhythmia include:
- Fatigue
- Fainting
- Dizziness
- Pain in your chest
- Shortness of breath
- Lightheadedness
Sometimes, people who suffer from arrhythmia ultimately suffer from heart failure or stroke. Such an outcome is more likely if the potassium levels in and outside of the cardiac muscle are imbalanced.
Osteoporosis
If you have a family history of osteoporosis, you should make it a priority to get enough essential electrolytes. Furthermore, you should make sure you are getting enough electrolytes if you are mostly sedentary, are over the age of 64, or have a diet that is low in vitamins K and D. Not getting enough of this vital electrolyte is a significant risk factor for the development of osteoporosis. If you develop osteoporosis, you may break a bone if you fall.
Muscle Twitches or Cramps
You also may have an Mg deficiency if you have tremors, twitches, or cramps in your muscles. Of course, there are other potential causes of these symptoms, like too much stress or caffeine. These symptoms can also be attributed to myasthenia gravis, muscular dystrophy, or multiple sclerosis. However, there is a good chance you need to supplement your electrolyte levels if you are also noticing other symptoms on this list.
Muscle Weakness or Fatigue
It is also a possibility that you need more Mg in your diet if you suffer from muscle weakness or fatigue. Fatigue caused by a lack of this essential electrolyte can present itself as mental or physical weakness or exhaustion. Note that if you have very recently noticed fatigue, you may just need to rest or drink more water.
The longer you have felt fatigued, the more likely it is that you are suffering from an electrolyte deficiency. Muscle weakness can have many potential causes, like myasthenia gravis. One potential cause of weak muscles is a lack of potassium in muscle cells due to a lack of Mg in the body.
Hypertension
More tests have been conducted on animals than humans, but there is evidence to suggest that if your Mg levels are lacking, your blood pressure may increase. This can increase your risk of heart disease.
Asthma
There is also evidence to suggest that if you don’t have enough Mg in your body, an excess amount of calcium can build up in the muscles that line the lungs’ airways. This extreme buildup constricts the airways, making it harder to breathe. Taking a magnesia supplement may mitigate your risk of asthma.
Mental Health Conditions
An insufficient amount of magnesium in your diet can also lead to mental health problems. For example, if you are slightly deficient, you may suffer from apathy. If your deficiency is severe, you may develop delirium or slip into a coma. Also, there is speculation that a deficiency in this vital electrolyte can increase the risk of developing other mental health problems, like anxiety.
What Are the Risk Factors of Magnesium Deficiency?
Long-term diuretic use and a poor diet are two of the most significant risk factors for being deficient in this vital electrolyte. Chronic diarrhea or vomiting, be it due to a physical or mental illness, like IBS-D or bulimia nervosa, can also increase your risk of having a severe electrolyte imbalance. Furthermore, Crohn’s disease and other digestive problems can increase the risk of a severe electrolyte imbalance.
Alcoholism is a significant electrolyte imbalance risk factor because alcohol consumption can lead to excessive urination. When you urinate, you flush out electrolytes. Moreover, you are more likely to suffer from a severe electrolyte deficiency if you suffer from type 2 diabetes, fast for extended periods of time on a regular basis, have renal failure, or take certain medications daily. Such medications include ulcer medication, reflux medication, and fluid tablets.
How Is This Condition Diagnosed?
This condition is usually diagnosed with a blood test. However, if you’re wary of needles, it is possible for an accurate diagnosis to be gleaned from a urine test. If you are deficient in this vital electrolyte, for the sake of your health, you should talk to your doctor about taking a supplement.
How Should I Supplement This Electrolyte?
The dosage of this supplement you should take depends on your diet, symptoms, and the severity of your symptoms. The type of supplement you take will also affect the ideal dosage for you. If you are having trouble sleeping, you may need between 400 mg and a gram of citrate before bed. If you have trouble passing bowel movements, your best bet may be to take between 300 and 400 mg of citrate.
If your goal is to relieve tension from migraine headaches, between 400 mg and half of a gram of oxide may be a good idea. If you take a full dose at once and notice any side effects, like drowsiness, be aware that you do not have to take the whole dose at once. You may want to take 200 mg with breakfast and 200 mg with lunch. Note that regardless of the dose your doctor recommends, it is important that you take this medication with food. If you don’t, you may experience gastrointestinal distress.
Can I Benefit From a Sulfate Supplement?
Typically, this electrolyte is found in oxide or citrate form. The oxide form is generally recommended for the treatment of pain, insomnia, constipation, and poor cognition. The citrate form of this supplement is also commonly used to treat sleep problems and constipation. Generally, oxide supplements can be found in the form of a capsule and citrate supplements are found in the form of a powder meant to be dissolved in liquid.
Sulfate is different. Instead of being taken orally and entering the bloodstream through the digestive tract, it is absorbed through the skin. If you have muscle cramps or anxiety, you can get 600 to 900 mg of magnesia by soaking in an Epsom salt bath.
There are a number of signs that you may be deficient in magnesia. Some of the most common are a significant reduction in your appetite, muscle spasms, and sleepiness. Heart arrhythmia is another sign that you should up your intake of this essential electrolyte. To learn more about this essential electrolyte or other ways to keep yourself as healthy as possible, follow Corpina Nootropics.
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